PEMBROKE – The UNCP Braves used a season-high rebounding advantage to score 32 second-chance points in toppling the visiting Armstrong Atlantic Pirates, 89-65, on Wednesday evening in a key Peach Belt Conference East Division matchup at the English E. Jones Center in Pembroke.

The game served as a fond farewell to seniors Lamar Cross and Chris Hargrove as the Braves (15-10, 8-9 PBC) recorded 64 rebounds, including 26 on the offensive glass, to score 38 points in the paint despite just a 37.1 percent shooting percentage from the floor. The Pirates (14-11, 8-9) shot just 35.4 percent from the floor and were just 6-of-33 from 3-point land and 13-of-26 from the free throw line during the game.

The Braves grabbed their first lead of the ballgame with 16:10 to go in the first half and never looked back in securing a win that moved them into a tie for third in the East Division with Armstrong Atlantic and Francis Marion. The Pirates and Patriots are scheduled to play each other on Saturday, so UNCP will control their own destiny in advancing to the conference tournament when they travel to Flagler on Saturday.

Junior Mike Robinson led the Braves with a 13-point, 12-rebound performance that gave him his first double-double of the season. Robinson finished 5-of-11 from the floor with seven offensive rebounds while adding two blocks and two steals in 28 minutes of action.

Sophomore Shahmel Brackett added 15 points on 6-of-19 shooting with 5 rebounds and two steals. Fellow sophomore George Blakeney registered 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor, including a 6-of-8 line at the charity stripe while adding six rebounds.

Hargrove tied Robinson with a game-high 12 rebounds and added six points offensively. 

The Braves will look to secure a birth in the PBC Tournament on Saturday when they battle the Flagler Saints in St. Augustine, Fla.